Collapsible umbrella



Dec. 27, 1949 l. LE R. BENTON COLLAPSIBDE UMBRELLA Filed April 8, 1947 INVENTOR IVAN LE ROY BENTON ORNEY Patented Dec. 27, 1949 FUNITED PATENT OFFICE.

N f 2;492,451 ooLLAP-si LE UMBRELLA Ivan Le Roy Benton, White'Riick, British Columbia, Canada Application Aprn 8,..1947, Scria1 No.l40.088

3 Claims- (Cl. 135- 25) 1 My invention relates to improvements" "in collapsible umbrellas.

The objects of the invention are to provide" an umbrellaahaving a frame consisting of innerri'bs and'itoutenribs "hingedly connected together to give lateral rigidity :and wherein the strut 'for spreading: each of said inner and outer ribsis arranged :to; slide along the outer rib" when the umbrella; is: broughtsto collapsed position and to lie outside of :the .cloth cover of the "frame. I 1 A is hingedly-connectedto the spider 28 of a runner further object is to provide a collapsibleiumbrella which requires. nofmanipulation to raise it into position of use, other than the usual movement of thel'slideahd tosupport said umbrella in natural position of use withitsatip uppermost.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a-sectional viewof"'the=invention showing. in dotted line one complete rib in=full open position and in full line one complete rib extendedbut with the umbrella in olosedaposition but not collapsed or folded.

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view showing the umbrella fully closed.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the rib hinge fitting, showing the outer rib swinging about the free end of the inner rib.

Fig. 4 is a view of similar points showing the inner and outer ribs folded together and the strut sliding lengthwise of said outer rib.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of a modification of the rib strut connection.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral l indicates an umbrella shaft having a tubular upper section 2 and a lower telescopic section 3 having a spring stop button 4, which is adapted to releasably retain the lower section 3 in extended position as shown in Figure 1.

The tubular upper section 2 is fitted with the usual spider 5 and tip 6, and the telescopic section 3 is fitted with a handle cap 8 of any desired design. Pivotally connected to the spider 5 is a plurality of folding ribs generally indicated by the numeral I0, each of which consists of an inner rib member II and an outer rib member l2, which are connected together by a hinge fitting M. The hinge fitting i4 is provided at one end with downwardly turned side plates I5 which are connected together adjacent their outer ends with a pin IE and are secured to the inner end of the outer rib member 12 as at H, see detail in Figures 3 and 4. The hinge fitting H is provided with a pair of upwardly turned 29, which is slida'ble upon the umbrella shaft l, which runneris adapted to be held in its raised position by the usual spring latch 3 I. The upper end' of 'thelink 2 1 1s 'ada'ptecltopass between the side plates I Etheouter 'rib'me'mberl 2 and the pin |6,.iB,S shownrin Figure 3, and the outer end of the sstrutz isadapted Ito slide 1 therethrough also. .Thetframe i-33tformed by the folding ribs isadaptedmorbe;.rcovered with any desired cover, indicated-lain dotted .line; inn Figure 1, and is adapted: tuba-secured to saidframe by stitches orotherwise-:tdthetiri 6;. the outer end .ofz'the inner rib: members 2| 1.- and the free end of. the outer rib members [2.

In the modified form of connection between the folding rib and the strut, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the strut here indicated by the numeral 35 is provided with a downwardly turned hook 36 having an open bight 31 in place of the link 2|. This hook is adapted to engage the pin It as the runner 29 is brought to the end of its downward stroke towards the handle cap 8 and tends to swing its outer rib member 12 outwardly away from the complementary inner rib member II as shown by the arrows in Figure 5, and as the runner is moved to open the umbrella to cause the strut to abut the pin [6 and prevent further swinging movement between said rib members II and I2.

Assuming the umbrella to be collapsed as shown in Figure 2, to open it the tip 6 is held by one hand and the lower telescopic section 3 of the shaft l and the runner 29 are drawn downwardly vto their fully extended position. The lowering of the runner brings the several links 2| from their position adjacent the tip 6 to the outer end of the inner rib sections, with the inner end of each link slightly beyond the pin it of the hinge fitting I4. As the free end of the strut reaches this position, the outer rib sections [2 fall radially outward by gravity to or beyond the position shown in Figure 3, which naturally inclines' the free end of the inner rib sections away from the shaft 1, so that by releasing the runner 29 and sliding. it upwardly along said shaft, the parts of the folding ribs l0 fall into alignment with each other leaving the curved outer end 25 of the strut to abut the pin :6 and prevent said strut from sliding endwise through the hinge fitting [4.

To close and collapse the umbrella, the runner 29 is drawn downwardly along the shaft I and the umbrella is inverted to a position where the tip 6 is below the handle cap 8. As soon as the outer rib members 12 drop below the horizontal, or, towards the tip 6, the runner 29 is moved towards the tip 6, thus causing the struts 26 to slide through the hinge fitting l4 and with the links 2| to slide along the outer rib member l2 to the position shown in Figure 2. The cover 33 will then be folded in two portions between the outer rib members 12 and the inner rib members ll,

The telescoping of the lower section 3 of the shaft, which may be simultaneous with the last-described movement of the runner 29, completes the collapsing of the umbrella.

. What I claim as my invention is:

l. A collapsible umbrella comprising a contractile shaft having a spider at its upper end, a plurality of folding ribs hingedly connected-to the spider, a runner upon the shaft, a plurality of struts hingedl connected to said runner and engaging said folding ribs, each of said folding ribs being formed with an inner rib member and an outer rib member, a hinge fitting secured to the outer rib member and hingedly connected to the inner rib member, said hinge fitting having a passage through which the strut is adapted 'to slide parallel to said outer rib member as the rib is folded and the umbrella is collapsed.

2. A collapsible umbrella comprising a contractile shaft having a spider at its upper end, a plurality of folding ribs hingedly connected to the spider, a runner upon the shaft, a plurality of struts hingedly connected to said runner and engaging said folding ribs, each of said folding ribs being formed with an inner rib member and an outer rib member, a hinge fitting secured to the outer rib member and hingedly connected to the inner rib member, a link having a pin hingedly connecting said link to the outer end of each strut and having a loop embracing the outer rib member to slide therealong and through a portion of the hinge fitting member, said strut being at an angle to the link when the folding rib is extended in open position and being parallel with the outer rib section when the rib members are folded together and the umbrella is collapsed.

3. A collapsible umbrella comprising a contractile shaft having a spider at its upper end, a plurality of folding ribs hingedly connected to the spider, a runner upon the shaft, a plurality of struts hingedly connected to said runner and engaging said folding ribs, each of said folding ribs being formed with an inner rib member and an outer-rib member, a hinge fitting secured to the outer rib member and hingedly connected to the inner rib member, said hinge fitting member having a pair of spaced side plates extending downwardly from the outer rib member, a pin bridging from one plate to the other to form a passage therebetween, a link hingedly connected to the outer end of the strut and having a loop slidably engaging theouter rib member, said link being adapted to extend into the said passage to permit the strut to engage the bridging pin and to prevent said link and strut from sliding lengthwise of the outer rib member when the umbrella is in The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 855,142 Steininger May 28, 1907 1,964,292

Livingston June 26, 1934 

